Carousels, also known as merry-go-rounds, have long been popular amusement rides. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, artisans including Gustav Denzel, Daniel Muller, Salvatore Cernigliaro, and E. Joy Morris designed and crafted carousels, some of which are in service today.
In recent years, there has been a renewed appreciation for carousels as an art form. Interest in the preservation, restoration, reproduction, and collection of various memorabilia related to carousels has also increased. Carousel enthusiasts now hold frequent auctions, trade shows, and conventions to display and trade various carousel artifacts. Trade publications such as "The Carousel News and Trader" and "Carousel Shopper" and special interest organizations such as the American Carousel Society and the National Carousel Association are also means by which enthusiasts promote the collection, preservation, restoration, and reproduction of such memorabilia.
Particular interest has centered around the design, creation, and collection of miniature carousel figurines. Such figurines include horses, giraffes, elephants, lions, and other animals as well as chariots, sleighs, and other figurines typically found on full size carousels. The collection of these figurines has created the need for a system by which the figures may be attractively, yet functionally and securely, supported and displayed. It is an object of this invention to provide such a system.